Cook: Basic Hummus

If you know me well, you know that I say that I will know I’ve made it, when I have a KitchenAid stand mixer, a counter in which to use it, and a food processor. Those are all that I want in my culinary life right now. I mean, a dishwasher would be nice too, but that’s more apartment envy stuff.

Well! Guess what?

Food processor….check! Thanks to the listening skills of a certain gentlemen (or the fact that I may or may not talk about my need for a food processor incessantly), I received a lovely little 4-cup food processor to celebrate a not so lovely, not so little birthday a couple of weeks ago.

First thing on my lengthy list of food processor foods? Hummus!

This was delicious and so much more flavorful and satisfying than any hummus I have ever bought at the grocery store. The texture was wonderful; it was smooth but not monotonous.

I liked the sweet, roasted flavor that the garlic imparted, but next time I might add a couple of raw garlic cloves as well just to punch up the overall garlic flavor. I’m really into garlic.

I served this hummus with some carrots and some warm pita bread. It was the perfect lunch and would have made a wonderful appetizer.

You know what? Hummus is super easy to make, provided you have a food processor. And you know what? I do! I will definitely try new variations on hummus. Roasted red pepper? Sure. Maybe add some sort of herbs? Yum. I have the tools, I can do whatever I want!

If you have a food processor, do this now. If you don’t, just talk about it over and over and over, not because you’re dropping hints, but because you crave hummus, and hope that someone is listening!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make a “boat” out of foil and place garlic cloves in it. Drizzle olive oil on top, then roast for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Once garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves out of their skins and into food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a couple of times until garlic is pureed. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until hummus reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasonings and add salt or additional hot sauce if your heart desires. I needed to stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times.

When hummus is to your liking, transfer to a bowl and drizzle some more olive oil over the top. Serve with pita and whatever raw vegetables you have on hand.